Looking to make some day trips down to your neck of the woods for some pier fishing. Coming down from redding, what piers would you suggest for us to try out? I know that area has some special regs so please feel free to point those out on your recommendations. Need to be public piers as I will have others that would rather not pay for out of state license. Thanks in advance.

Don't know where you're coming from but if you're coming down to SF from up north then I recommend the Fort Baker area on the Marin side of the Golden Gate; you'll have easy access to a fairly uncongested pier as well as the jetty next to the marina. There's free parking and a very short walk potentially from where you park to where you can set up shop. The area is very pretty but don't expect a lot of facilities.

Coming from the south then Pacifica is your only option for "close" to SF if you want to fish the ocean and not the Bay. It'll be the most crowded of the spots listed here but you are able to catch the biggest variety of species, including Dungeness. Obviously you'll be close to bait & tackle shops here as well as the rest of Pacifica should you want to grab a bite to eat after.

Finally, if you are in the city proper, then I recommend those piers that are on SF's north side: Fort Point and SF Muni Pier, though Muni Pier is pretty rough in terms of its condition. Just like Pacifica' Pier, choosing an SF spot means you're already in the city and can go grab a bite to eat virtually anywhere, though parking can be a nightmare

Also, if I'm reading the regs, correctly. The bay is one pole, Max three hooks, unless on a public pier where it would be two poles with three hook Max? Or if fishing for ground fish species, then it is one pole with two hooks?

I am coming in from the north. Does Fort baker pier really close at 5?

No idea to be honest, though I've been out there until 4pm and nobody seemed like they were starting to get ready to pack up. Hopefully someone else here with more experience at Moore Rd. Pier can chime in. It'd be surprising if it did close at 5 since that would feel like the middle of the afternoon after daylight savings time.

And even if it does close you ought to be able to still use the jetty right across from it.

DragonDJ11 wrote:

Also, if I'm reading the regs, correctly. The bay is one pole, Max three hooks, unless on a public pier where it would be two poles with three hook Max? Or if fishing for ground fish species, then it is one pole with two hooks?

If you have any desire to go for groundfish like rockfish or cabs, I'd just keep things simple and use one pole with a two-hook hi/lo setup to make sure you'e not running afoul of anything._________________Catch & cook. No time for selfies.

Really want to go down and check it out this weekend. Any thoughts on if it would be worth the attempt? Time we should shoot to fish and what to target? Specifically Fort baker pier and preferably on Sat?

Really want to go down and check it out this weekend. Any thoughts on if it would be worth the attempt? Time we should shoot to fish and what to target? Specifically Fort baker pier and preferably on Sat?

The projected low tide for Saturday is roughly 12:15PM. Not super ideal if you wanted to fish the more productive incoming tide towards the top of the tide, but I bet you'd still have a fine time around low tide. If you decide to fish the jetty though, my advice is to be active and keep moving up & down it, tossing your bait close to structure you see just past the jetty wall. If the people you're bringing along aren't likely to move along the jetty if a spot isn't producing, then I would target the pier first.

If your folk don't have their licenses but you do, then another option would be that they fish the jetty and you fish around the rocks at Point Cavallo a few feet away. You'll likely get more action their anyway but it's not a part of the jetty so you will need you license to fish it._________________Catch & cook. No time for selfies.